Bangkok
Highgate School Opens Its First Overseas Campus in Thailand This August
The 460-year-old London independent school will welcome its inaugural cohort in Chonburi next term, in partnership with Siam Motors Group, marking a landmark moment for British education in Southeast Asia.
One of Britain's oldest and most celebrated independent schools is about to plant its flag in Southeast Asia. Highgate International School Thailand, a partnership between London's Highgate School and the Siam Motors Group (SMG), is set to open its doors in August 2026 near Siam Country Club in Chonburi province, initially welcoming children from Pre-Nursery through to Year 6. It is the first time in Highgate's 461-year history that it has operated a campus outside the United Kingdom.
The school will follow the English National Curriculum, with students progressing towards IGCSEs and A Levels, and at full capacity is designed to accommodate up to 1,400 day and boarding students aged 2 to 18. A Senior School and boarding provision are planned for 2027, mirroring the three-school structure of the original Highgate campus in north London. According to the Bangkok Post, tuition fees are expected to range from 500,000 to one million baht per year, positioning the school firmly at the top of Thailand's premium international tier.
A purpose-built campus with flagship facilities
The purpose-built campus has been designed to meet Highgate's exacting standards. Facilities include an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a FIFA-standard football pitch, a golf academy, a library and media centre, a modern auditorium, and specialist spaces for STEM, music and the arts. The investment budget, according to reporting by the Bangkok Post, is approximately 1.6 billion baht, a figure that underlines the ambition of the project.
Heading the school is Ben Keeling, appointed as Founding Head after nearly two decades in international school leadership, including eight years as Principal of Shrewsbury International School Hong Kong. His appointment signals the seriousness with which Highgate UK is approaching the venture; teachers will be recruited predominantly from the United Kingdom and quality-assured directly by the London campus.
Thailand's British school wave gathers pace
The Chonburi opening adds a significant name to what is already becoming a landmark year for British education in Thailand. Dulwich College Bangkok and Wycombe Abbey International School Bangkok are both due to open in August 2026 as well, making this the most concentrated single-year entry of established UK independent school brands into any Southeast Asian market.
For Siam Motors Group, the investment reflects a strategic pivot beyond automotive interests. Tanyaporn Phornprapha Tangcravakoon, Chair of the School Board, has described the project as being not just about establishing a school, but about shaping the future of education in the region. Whether the province of Chonburi, home to three existing large international schools, can absorb that ambition at the premium price point Highgate is targeting will be one of the more closely watched questions of the 2026 to 2027 admissions cycle.